The present invention pertains to a protective mask adapted to be worn by persons engaging in physical games.
Protective masks are typically used in an environment in which flying objects or projectiles may be present. Examples of such an environment are the game of ice hockey or the game of paint ball shooting where paint balls are projected onto players in order to display a hit. In order to protect the player""s eyes, a lens assembly is used in association with a mask in order to fully cover the front face and sides of the player""s head. In most cases, the lens is removable so that it can be easily replaced either for washing or for replacement should it become damaged.
It is also important to protect the throat of the player during such games and, especially in the game of ice hockey, a throat guard is mounted at the base of the mask to protect the player""s throat. This throat guard cannot be fixedly mounted to the mask since it must follow vertical movements of the player""s head during the game. In most face masks equipped with throat guards, the latter are usually mounted to the mask by means of strings or cords.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved protective mask to be worn by persons engaging in physical games with an improved throat guard pivotally mounted to the mask.
It is also an object of the present to provide a protective mask with a throat guard which can be easily removed from the face mask. This is achieved by a means of a quick snap-in engagement with or snap-out disengagement from the main body of the mask.
The present invention therefore relates to a protective mask adapted to be worn by a person engaging in physical games which comprises:
a main body formed of rigid plastic material including a nose portion, a chin portion, a brow portion, opposite cheek portions and opposite side temple portions to cover the front and sides of a person""s head; the body displays an opening between the brow portion and the nose and cheek portions;
a transparent lens mounted to the body extending over the opening;
a throat guard pivotally mounted to the opposite cheek portions and inwardly of the chin and cheek portions; the throat guard is pivotable between two vertical portions relative to the chin and cheek portions; the throat guard has a tongue portion extending towards the body and is adapted to contact a lower inner edge area of the body to define the lowermost vertical position for the throat guard; the throat guard further includes an outwardly projecting portion adapted to contact the lower edge area of the body to define an uppermost vertical position for the throat guard.
In one form of the invention, the pivotal movement of the throat guard relative to the main body of the mask is achieved by a pair of pins which, in addition to hingedly connect the throat guard to the main body of the face mask, will also enable the quick engagement to and disengagement of the throat guard from the face mask.
Other objects and further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. It should be understood, however, that this detailed description, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, is given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art.